This invention relates to dynamic IP addressing schemes, and more particularly to dynamic IP address assignment schemes for wireless devices in an OBS network.
Using the Internet""s set of communication protocols, the most common being Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), each machine requires a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address in order to connect to the Internet. When a network is formed, an IP address must be assigned to each machine. To avoid manually entering an IP address at each computer when it enters the network or moves within the network, protocols have been developed that distribute IP addresses from a central point.
Examples of such protocols are the PPP Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP) (RFC 1332) and the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) (RFC 2131). With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address each time that it connects to a network. The device""s IP address may even change, in some systems, while it is connected to the network. A protocol such as DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP addresses.
The DHCP protocol uses xe2x80x9cleasexe2x80x9d time concepts for the amount of time that a given IP address will be valid for a computer. The lease time may vary depending on how long a user is likely to require the Internet connection at a particular location. Protocols, such as DHCP, are particularly useful in environments such as education where users change frequently. Using short lease times, the protocols can dynamically reconfigure networks where there are more computers than there are available IP addresses.
These dynamic address schemes have met with some success. However, there still remains a need to extend dynamic IP addressing to serve an On-Board-Switch (OBS) network and to connect OBS network users to the Internet.
The present invention provides a method of assigning an IP address to a user of a mobile communication device in an On-Board Switch (OBS) network. The method includes the steps of contacting an OBS within the OBS network using the mobile communication device, transmitting a user identifier and a MAC hardware address of the mobile communication device to the OBS, requesting an IP address from the OBS, requesting an IP address from a ticketing authority with the OBS, assigning a unique IP address to the user, transmitting the assigned IP address to the OBS, and transmitting the assigned IP address from the OBS to the mobile communication device.
The present invention also provides a method of authenticating a user in a network. The authentication protocol begins when the user enters a password into a MCD that is in communication with an authentication site. An encryption key is then derived from the password of the user, and the MCD transmits a first random number encrypted with the encryption key to the authentication site. The authentication site receives the encrypted first random number and transmits a second random number to the MCD. The MCD receives the transmitted second random number and retransmits the first random number encrypted with the encryption key and the received second number encrypted with the encryption key. The authentication site receives the encrypted first and second random numbers from the MCD and decrypts the numbers with a user authentication decryption key specific to the user and stored at the authentication site. The user is then authenticated if the decrypted received first and second random numbers match the second random number sent by the authentication site and the initial first random number received by the authentication site.
The above and other features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.